Matthew 9:9

The Call of Matthew; Eating with Sinners

9:9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth. ¹  “Follow me,” he said to him. And he got up and followed him.

Matthew 20:16

20:16 So the last will be first, and the first last.”

Luke 7:29

7:29 (Now ²  all the people who heard this, even the tax collectors, ³  acknowledged ⁴  God’s justice, because they had been baptized ⁵  with John’s baptism.

Luke 7:37-50

7:37 Then ⁶  when a woman of that town, who was a sinner, learned that Jesus ⁷  was dining ⁸  at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar ⁹  of perfumed oil. ¹⁰  7:38 As ¹¹  she stood ¹²  behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. She ¹³  wiped them with her hair, ¹⁴  kissed ¹⁵  them, ¹⁶  and anointed ¹⁷  them with the perfumed oil. 7:39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, ¹⁸  he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, ¹⁹  he would know who and what kind of woman ²⁰  this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner.” 7:40 So ²¹  Jesus answered him, ²²  “Simon, I have something to say to you.” He replied, ²³  “Say it, Teacher.” 7:41 “A certain creditor ²⁴  had two debtors; one owed him ²⁵  five hundred silver coins, ²⁶  and the other fifty. 7:42 When they could not pay, he canceled ²⁷  the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” 7:43 Simon answered, ²⁸  “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.” ²⁹  Jesus ³⁰  said to him, “You have judged rightly.” 7:44 Then, ³¹  turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house. You gave me no water for my feet, ³²  but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 7:45 You gave me no kiss of greeting, ³³  but from the time I entered she has not stopped kissing my feet. 7:46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet ³⁴  with perfumed oil. 7:47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which were many, are forgiven, thus she loved much; ³⁵  but the one who is forgiven little loves little.” 7:48 Then ³⁶  Jesus ³⁷  said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” ³⁸  7:49 But ³⁹  those who were at the table ⁴⁰  with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” 7:50 He ⁴¹  said to the woman, “Your faith ⁴²  has saved you; ⁴³  go in peace.”

Luke 15:1-2

The Parable of the Lost Sheep and Coin

15:1 Now all the tax collectors ⁴⁴  and sinners were coming ⁴⁵  to hear him. 15:2 But ⁴⁶  the Pharisees ⁴⁷  and the experts in the law ⁴⁸  were complaining, ⁴⁹  “This man welcomes ⁵⁰  sinners and eats with them.”

Luke 19:9-10

19:9 Then ⁵¹  Jesus said to him, “Today salvation ⁵²  has come to this household, ⁵³  because he too is a son of Abraham! ⁵⁴  19:10 For the Son of Man came ⁵⁵  to seek and to save the lost.”

Romans 5:20

5:20 Now the law came in ⁵⁶  so that the transgression ⁵⁷  may increase, but where sin increased, grace multiplied all the more,

Romans 9:30-33

Israel’s Rejection Culpable

9:30 What shall we say then? – that the Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness obtained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith, 9:31 but Israel even though pursuing ⁵⁸  a law of righteousness ⁵⁹  did not attain it. ⁶⁰  9:32 Why not? Because they pursued ⁶¹  it not by faith but (as if it were possible) by works. ⁶²  They stumbled over the stumbling stone, ⁶³  9:33 just as it is written,

“Look, I am laying in Zion a stone that will cause people to stumble

and a rock that will make them fall, ⁶⁴ 

yet the one who believes in him will not be put to shame.” ⁶⁵ 

Romans 9:1

Israel’s Rejection Considered

9:1 ⁶⁶ I am telling the truth in Christ (I am not lying!), for my conscience assures me ⁶⁷  in the Holy Spirit –

Romans 1:13-16

1:13 I do not want you to be unaware, ⁶⁸  brothers and sisters, ⁶⁹  that I often intended to come to you (and was prevented until now), so that I may have some fruit even among you, just as I already have among the rest of the Gentiles. ⁷⁰  1:14 I am a debtor ⁷¹  both to the Greeks and to the barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 1:15 Thus I am eager ⁷²  also to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome. ⁷³ 

The Power of the Gospel

1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ⁷⁴ 

[9:9]  ¹ tn While “tax office” is sometimes given as a translation for τελώνιον (telwnion, so L&N 57.183), this could give the modern reader a false impression of an indoor office with all its associated furnishings.

[7:29]  ² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the parenthetical nature of the comment by the author.

[7:29]  ³ sn See the note on tax collectors in 3:12.

[7:29]  ⁴ tn Or “vindicated God”; Grk “justified God.” This could be expanded to “vindicated and responded to God.” The point is that God’s goodness and grace as evidenced in the invitation to John was justified and responded to by the group one might least expect, tax collector and sinners. They had more spiritual sensitivity than others. The contrastive response is clear from v. 30.

[7:29]  ⁵ tn The participle βαπτισθέντες (baptisqente") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[7:37]  ⁶ tn Grk “And behold.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative. The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[7:37]  ⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:37]  ⁸ tn Grk “was reclining at table.”

[7:37]  ⁹ sn A jar made of alabaster stone was normally used for very precious substances like perfumes. It normally had a long neck which was sealed and had to be broken off so the contents could be used.

[7:37]  ¹⁰ tn Μύρον (muron) was usually made of myrrh (from which the English word is derived) but here it is used in the sense of ointment or perfumed oil (L&N 6.205). The same phrase occurs at the end of v. 38 and in v. 46.

[7:38]  ¹¹ tn Grk “And standing.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[7:38]  ¹² tn Grk “standing”; the participle στᾶσα (stasa) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[7:38]  ¹³ tn Grk “tears, and she.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[7:38]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “with the hair of her head.”

[7:38]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “and kissed,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[7:38]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “kissed his feet,” but this has been replaced by the pronoun “them” in keeping with contemporary English style.

[7:38]  ¹⁷ sn The series of verbs in this verse detail the woman’s every move, much as if the onlookers were watching her every step. That she attended the meal is not so surprising, as teachers often ate an open meal where listeners were welcome, but for her to approach Jesus was unusual and took great nerve, especially given her reputation.

[7:39]  ¹⁸ tn The word “this” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[7:39]  ¹⁹ tn This is a good example of a second class (contrary to fact) Greek conditional sentence. The Pharisee said, in effect, “If this man were a prophet (but he is not)…”

[7:39]  ²⁰ sn The Pharisees believed in a form of separationism that would have prevented them from any kind of association with such a sinful woman.

[7:40]  ²¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the connection with the preceding statement recording the Pharisee’s thoughts.

[7:40]  ²² tn Grk “answering, said to him.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “answered him.”

[7:40]  ²³ tn Grk “he said.”

[7:41]  ²⁴ sn A creditor was a moneylender, whose business was to lend money to others at a fixed rate of interest.

[7:41]  ²⁵ tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[7:41]  ²⁶ tn Grk “five hundred denarii.”

[7:42]  ²⁷ tn The verb ἐχαρίσατο (ecarisato) could be translated as “forgave.” Of course this pictures the forgiveness of God’s grace, which is not earned but bestowed with faith (see v. 49).

[7:43]  ²⁸ tn Grk “answering, said.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “answered.”

[7:43]  ²⁹ tn Grk “the one to whom he forgave more” (see v. 42).

[7:43]  ³⁰ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[7:44]  ³¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[7:44]  ³² sn It is discussed whether these acts in vv. 44-46 were required by the host. Most think they were not, but this makes the woman’s acts of respect all the more amazing.

[7:45]  ³³ tn Grk “no kiss.” This refers to a formalized kiss of greeting, standard in that culture. To convey this to the modern reader, the words “of greeting” have been supplied to qualify what kind of kiss is meant.

[7:46]  ³⁴ sn This event is not equivalent to the anointing of Jesus that takes place in the last week of his life (Matt 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9; John 12:1-8). That woman was not a sinner, and Jesus was eating in the home of Simon the leper, who, as a leper, could never be a Pharisee.

[7:47]  ³⁵ tn Grk “for she loved much.” The connection between this statement and the preceding probably involves an ellipsis, to the effect that the ὅτι clause gives the evidence of forgiveness, not the ground. For similar examples of an “evidentiary” ὅτι, cf. Luke 1:22; 6:21; 13:2. See discussion in D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 1:703-5. Further evidence that this is the case here is the final statement: “the one who is forgiven little loves little” means that the one who is forgiven little is thus not able to love much. The REB renders this verse: “her great love proves that her many sins have been forgiven; where little has been forgiven, little love is shown.”

[7:48]  ³⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[7:48]  ³⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:48]  ³⁸ sn Jesus showed his authority to forgive sins, something that was quite controversial. See Luke 5:17-26 and the next verse.

[7:49]  ³⁹ tn Grk “And”; here καί (kai) has been translated as an adversative (contrastive).

[7:49]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “were reclining at table.”

[7:50]  ⁴¹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[7:50]  ⁴² sn On faith see Luke 5:20; 7:9; 8:25; 12:28; 17:6; 18:8; 22:32.

[7:50]  ⁴³ sn The questioning did not stop Jesus. He declared authoritatively that the woman was forgiven by God (your faith has saved you). This event is a concrete example of Luke 5:31-32.

[15:1]  ⁴⁴ sn See the note on tax collectors in 3:12.

[15:1]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “were drawing near.”

[15:2]  ⁴⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[15:2]  ⁴⁷ sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.

[15:2]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.

[15:2]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “grumbling”; Grk “were complaining, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[15:2]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “accepts,” “receives.” This is not the first time this issue has been raised: Luke 5:27-32; 7:37-50.

[19:9]  ⁵¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative

[19:9]  ⁵² sn This is one of the few uses of the specific term salvation in Luke (1:69, 71, 77), though the concept runs throughout the Gospel.

[19:9]  ⁵³ sn The household is not a reference to the building, but to the people who lived within it (L&N 10.8).

[19:9]  ⁵⁴ sn Zacchaeus was personally affirmed by Jesus as a descendant (son) of Abraham and a member of God’s family.

[19:10]  ⁵⁵ sn The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost is Jesus’ mission succinctly defined. See Luke 15:1-32.

[5:20]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “slipped in.”

[5:20]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “trespass.”

[9:31]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “who pursued.” The participle could be taken adverbially or adjectivally.

[9:31]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “a legal righteousness,” that is, a righteousness based on law. This translation would treat the genitive δικαιοσύνης (dikaiosunh") as an attributed genitive (see ExSyn 89-91).

[9:31]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “has not attained unto the law.”

[9:32]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “Why? Because not by faith but as though by works.” The verb (“they pursued [it]”) is to be supplied from the preceding verse for the sake of English style; yet a certain literary power is seen in Paul’s laconic style.

[9:32]  ⁶² tc Most mss, especially the later ones (א² D Ψ 33 Ï sy), read νόμου (nomou, “of the law”) here, echoing Paul’s usage in Rom 3:20, 28 and elsewhere. The qualifying phrase is lacking in א* A B F G 6 629 630 1739 1881 pc lat co. The longer reading thus is weaker externally and internally, being motivated apparently by a need to clarify.

[9:32]  ⁶³ tn Grk “the stone of stumbling.”

[9:33]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.”

[9:33]  ⁶⁵ sn A quotation from Isa 28:16; 8:14.

[9:1]  ⁶⁶ sn Rom 9:1–11:36. These three chapters are among the most difficult and disputed in Paul’s Letter to the Romans. One area of difficulty is the relationship between Israel and the church, especially concerning the nature and extent of Israel’s election. Many different models have been constructed to express this relationship. For a representative survey, see M. Barth, The People of God (JSNTSup), 22-27. The literary genre of these three chapters has been frequently identified as a diatribe, a philosophical discussion or conversation evolved by the Cynic and Stoic schools of philosophy as a means of popularizing their ideas (E. Käsemann, Romans, 261 and 267). But other recent scholars have challenged the idea that Rom 9–11 is characterized by diatribe. Scholars like R. Scroggs and E. E. Ellis have instead identified the material in question as midrash. For a summary and discussion of the rabbinic connections, see W. R. Stegner, “Romans 9.6-29 – A Midrash,” JSNT 22 (1984): 37-52.

[9:1]  ⁶⁷ tn Or “my conscience bears witness to me.”

[1:13]  ⁶⁸ sn The expression “I do not want you to be unaware [Grk ignorant]” also occurs in 1 Cor 10:1; 12:1; 1 Thess 4:13. Paul uses the phrase to signal that he is about to say something very important.

[1:13]  ⁶⁹ tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).

[1:13]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “in order that I might have some fruit also among you just as also among the rest of the Gentiles.”

[1:14]  ⁷¹ tn Or “obligated.”

[1:15]  ⁷² tn Or “willing, ready”; Grk “so my eagerness [is] to preach…” The word πρόθυμος (proqumo", “eager, willing”) is used only elsewhere in the NT in Matt 26:41 = Mark 14:38: “the spirit indeed is willing (πρόθυμος), but the flesh is weak.”

[1:15]  ⁷³ map For location see JP4 A1.

[1:16]  ⁷⁴ sn Here the Greek refers to anyone who is not Jewish.